Following my instincts has done me well during my life and caused me grief when I failed to do so. I watched the news this morning and heard how a large group of people overcrowded a boat which capsized, drowning a number of people. There's no doubt in my mind that some of those people realized the danger when boarding the boat but chose to ignore it and now have to live with their mistake.
Human beings are gifted with 5 senses and a possible 6th and they are present in our make-up for good reason, to protect us. When we ignore the dangers our senses have warned us against we do so to our detriment. Self preservation is such a strong urge that it's surprising how many people take unbelievable chances with their lives. I think we probably take more chances with our own lives than with our loved ones, though.
I know how careful I've always been with my children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, shielding them from anything I considered even slightly threatening. I'm sure they hated it but at least my grandchildren could laugh it off as "that's just Gramma!". My own children didn't laugh off an overprotective mother and probably felt stifled by it. No matter, I did what my senses forced me to do.
Sometimes when tragedies occur and it's clear that the people involved took ridiculous risks, I wonder what they were thinking when they began their journey. Was the risk taking exciting or did they simply ignore what their senses were telling them because they didn't want to cause a scene? That often happened to me and sometimes I escaped unscathed and other times had the scare of my life.
Protecting my offspring is so deeply ingrained in my psyche that there's no way I can ignore it. It's as much a part of me as breathing. Would I have taken my children onto an overcrowded boat? I hope not. I think not.
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